The Dracula Files crashing (dra-w32.exe has stopped working)

Hi
I`m new to the forum and not sure if i`m posting in the right place,when i`m playing the dracula files i am getting a message popping up saying dra-w32.exe has stopped working,i know i had a virus on my laptop last week but the guys at virgin cleared it for me,
i have since scanned with malwarebytes and ccleaner but am still getting the message
i am on vista and have virginmedia security installed,hope someone can help me please
sonia

I looked up the message for you; dra_w32.exe is basically the game file. So the message reads in plainer English: "The game has (for some reason) stopped working".

I don't think it's a virus-related issue... viruses usually don't attach to game files. And I've seen computers totally messed up because of viruses - but still completely capable of running a game. So even native OS-files can be corrupted, but still usable by games.

Question time:
Have you been able to play The Dracula Files on this PC before?
**Are you familiar with DxDiag?

Edit:
**Basically, I just want to know if the PC is capable of running the game correctly.

Hi
Thanks for your reply,i have only recently got this game,i have played other games on this laptop.
I can get so far into the game but thats when the message pops up and it ends the game.
No i have not heard of DxDiag
thanks

AlrIght. First, I want to make sure that all the game requirements are met by your PC's hardware, and that your PC is working properly as for some configuration files (this is where "DxDiag" comes in).

Basically, I would like your computer to generate a report of its own hardware -- then I want you to post it so that I can read it here on TechSpot!

This so that I can see what hardware is in it (in other words, if your hardware can/cannot run the game properly).

DirectX Diagnostics, or DxDiag for short, is a tool which comes with every Windows version pre-installed since Windows XP.

I've come up with a simple step-by-step instruction on how to do this, provided you are OK with it.

If you want more information, simply ask, and I will answer.

---------------------------------------

I would like you to do the following:

1. Open up your start menu (the "start"/ORB/Windows button over at the lower left corner).If you are using Windows Vista or 7, step 2 will be unnecessary - skip step 2 if that's the case.
2. Click on "Run".
3. Type "DxDiag" and press enter (this will run the program "DirectX Diagnostics" - which is a Microsoft program that logs and shows technical information about the computer).NOTE: No personal information is logged, only your current username (it can be 'admin' or 'Rebecca' or whatever).

I would like you to press the button second to the rightmost corner-button, then one named something along with "Save all information..." or "Generate report...".

This will generate a textfile containing information about you computer hardware. It contains no personal files whatsoever, it's simply a file filled with informational text.

Now, please Copy (Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C) that text, and post it in you next response (Ctrl+V). If it is more than 50.000 characters long, you can simply post another reply with the remaining characters after the 50.000 character cap.

Oh, almost forgot:
DxDiag might ask you if you want to check "Digital WHQL-signatures" -- if so, then choose "Yes" - although keep in mind that this doesn't really matter that much if you by any chance happen to press "No".

Yup, you did it perfectly. This was what I wanted.
-----------------------
Right, I can see that your PC is most definitely capable of running the game. I would even say it's a total overkill by miles!

However I can see that you are running Vista. "The Dracula Files" is a pretty old game, so I'm currently suspecting that your OS does not support the game that well.

Thus: the next thing to do would be to set the game file to "compatibility mode" -- just to check if there are some legacy codes which crashes it in your OS.

You should normally see a tab named "Compatibility" or something like that.
3. Press it.

You should now see a tick-option reading "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then a drop-down list.
4. Tick this box. If already ticked, skip step 4.

As The Dracula Files was originally written for XP SP1/2,
5. In the drop-down list, choose "Windows XP" - either SP1 or SP2 if available.
6. Press OK. (or Apply and then OK - it doesn't really matter).

7. Try running the game again.

Keep us posted!

Edit:
I read the log some more and found something interesting. (This is totally non-related to the game issue of course, I'm just curious.)

Tell me, have your USB-ports stopped working for some reason lately? Any symptoms like; flash drives not responding to input/output, USB-mice that don't respond at all for all eternity, USB-keyboards which drop dead in mid-sentence?

HI
i have just realised that the info i gave was for my pc and not the laptop which is what i am having the problem with,as far as i am aware there is not a problem with the usb ports
Here is the report from the laptop with the problem
Sonia

You should normally see a tab named "Compatibility" or something like that.
3. Press it.

You should now see a tick-option reading "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then a drop-down list.
4. Tick this box. If already ticked, skip step 4.

As The Dracula Files was originally written for XP SP1/2,
5. In the drop-down list, choose "Windows XP" - either SP1 or SP2 if available.
6. Press OK. (or Apply and then OK - it doesn't really matter).

7. Try running the game again.

Click to expand...

Good that I've seen the laptop's hardware. The situation however is still the same. The instructions remain, so to speak!

I have tried the compatibility mode and so far no pop ups,at the end of the message it said about a dedicated vram,do not know what all that is about(not very tech savvy)is it something to be concerned about
sonia

Having no VRAM is nothing to be concerned about. It's just that I didn't think it was possible to use the entire shared RAM as VRAM, as this might crash the PC if the graphics become too intense (demanding) for the built in graphics card (although this is unlikely). As this is a forum after all, somebody might have a brief input on why this is, because I have no clue.

But it's nothing to be concerned about, I assure you.

So you've tried the compatibility mode but still no results? Hmm... I running out of ideas here. To me, it seems like this game is not compatible with the operating system, because of the game's age.

I cannot think of any other reason as of this moment. It is not a solution, but it's an explanation.

I'm forced to resort to basic ideas then. Have you checked if the game works in another computer? Is the disc scratched or anything?

Hi,
The game is working now but it seems to be jumpy(as if it needs time to catch up with itself),all other games play fine on the laptop.
This Dracula games works fine on the pc and my daughters laptop
sonia